Honkai: Star Rail - Science Fiction Fantasy Gacha Game

So I promised my next post would be about Honkai: Star Rail, and here we are!

Star Rail is another Hoyoverse gacha game. Honestly, though, I find the story line more entertaining than Genshin Impact. It's that nice mix of science fiction and fantasy. And the humor is great, kind of off the wall at times (which is totally up my alley as you'd know if you've ever read any of my Fractured Fairies stories).

I've also already found two references to Persona 5, which totally made me fangirl - lol. It's awesome that the writers don't take themselves too seriously, making the story a lot of fun, even though there are plenty of serious moments. I mean, trashcans are a huge running joke. You have to play the game to understand... Trust me.

The art style is also fantastic. But you can judge for yourself because it's time for screenshots!

First up is my newest character's splash art - Feixiao.

Here's a nice shot of the Astral Express crew.

Now a few shots from the story line (unfortunately, I'm often too slow to get some pretty neat screenshots, or I'd have more - heh).

And finally, here's one of those humorous moments. The Trailblazer with a bunch of creations from a Genius Society member!

I know it's a gacha game, but as long as you can resist spending tons of money on pixels, it's definitely a game any science fiction and fantasy lover would enjoy!

Fairies - Fractured and Uncut - Excerpt

Not only is it a release day - it's a double release day!

In preparation for the Fractured Fairies collection, I revised and expanded Immortal Woes. And it's now available as a single ebook for FREE! You can snag your free copy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, and Smashwords. Or for a full retailer list, take a look at Books2Read.

And then of course, I have the collection of all my current Fractured Fairies stories in Fairies - Fractured and Uncut: 7 Humorous Fantasy Tales. All of the stories have been tweaked a bit since they were originally released. The collection includes: Immortal Woes, Ode to Buses and Libraries, S.O.L. Air, Monster in the Room, A Very Grinka Christmas, Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies, and Nymphs Need Love Too.

You can buy the ebook for Fairies - Fractured and Uncut from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, and Smashwords. And the full retailer list is at Books2Read. Current price is $3.99 USD.

A paperback version will be available next week from Amazon for $10.95 USD. I had a lot of fun splattering the cover art for the print version! ;)

If you read either title, please leave an honest review on your retailer of choice or at Goodreads (links: Immortal Woes and Fairies - Fractured and Uncut). Reviews help more than you can imagine!

I do have an excerpt for you, as always. This is from that new expanded version of Immortal Woes. Happy reading!

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Syndago staggers around the living room, a huge hole where his face used to be. It’s not supposed to do so much damage, at least not according to all the crime shows I’ve watched. But that whole not human thing tends to come into play. Weapons wreak more havoc on immortals.

The shiny, silver handgun lies discarded on the floor. I’m not sure where he got it, and I wonder how hard it’ll be to get rid of. Maybe I’ll toss it into the Immortal World. Let the dwarves, elves, and goblins play with it.

He stumbles into an end table, and the lamp teeters. It succumbs to gravity and shatters on the ground – the true victim of this incident.

I sigh. Typically I only need to replace broken furniture after the fairies visit.

Syndago’s knees buckle, and he thuds onto his ass. His burly, thundering form shakes the entire apartment, and the windows rattle. If he still had a mouth, he’d surely be blubbering.

Poor, big lug. I miss his face, even if it has a frown affixed to it most of the time.

The crater shrinks slightly, flesh and bone regenerating. Who knows how immortals survive fatal injuries. At least half his brain is gone, if he had a whole one to begin with. Humans would kill for our secret, and Syndago would happily give himself over for experimentation if it meant finding him a cure.

Not that I’m about to give him that idea. The last thing I want is for him to succeed at his suicide attempts. And it’s best humans remain oblivious of our existence.

Maybe the wound will cause him memory loss, and he’ll forget he wants to kill himself.

Wait, no. He tried a guillotine once – it sheared his head right off. It thumped into the basket whole, thankfully no longer animated. A human-sized giant with one mouth is enough to deal with. Can you imagine a second tucked under his arm bemoaning life? I shudder at the thought.

Well, when he chopped his head off, I actually dreaded that he’d succeeded for a moment. Then the regeneration kicked in, and he grew a new head, spiky black hair and all. He remembered everything then, so he will now.

The bullet worms its way out of Syndago’s flesh and tings on the hardwood, then his face completes knitting itself back together. He struggles to his feet and slumps onto the couch, tears dripping from his reconstructed brown eyes. "Nothing works, Grinka. What am I going to do?"

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Take one grouchy sea nymph, add a woeful human-sized giant, and mix in two lewd, drunken fairies.

What do you get?

An unsavory blend of immortals attempting to live together in the real world.

7 Humorous Fantasy Tales in the Fractured Fairies series, including:

Immortal Woes

Nothing like having a suicidal not-so-giant giant as a best friend. Unless you also have a couple of drunken fairy pests tormenting him about his small stature.

Grinka's the lucky sea nymph who has both. Between comforting her friend and stopping the lewd fairies from taunting him with a death powder, her temper gets the best of her.

And when it does, things explode.

Ode To Buses And Libraries

A maddening itch on the back of Grinka’s neck drives her to seek answers. Unfortunately, the information about her skin condition can only be found at the Immortal Library.

Getting to the library proves difficult, especially when riding the Immortal Express bus line. Between a lackadaisical centaur and the drunken fairy siblings, it's a wonder Grinka hasn't exploded them all.

Oh wait, she has.

S.O.L. Air

That whole “life’s a journey, not a destination” nonsense doesn’t hold water with Grinka. Especially when she books a flight to Vegas to get away from the two fairy nitwits.

She fails to consider the aquatic ramifications of a sea nymph in the air. And a chance encounter with her goblin ex-boyfriend, Hrelm, threatens to delay her even further.

Seriously, what’s it going to take for Grinka to get to Vegas and gamble away her meager savings?

Monster In The Room

What does a sea nymph do when she comes home to find a monster filling her entire living room? Find out in this bite-sized gulp of Grinka.

A Very Grinka Christmas

Grinka's main goal for Christmas: survive without celebrating a damned thing. Between playing an elf to her mopey human-sized giant friend’s Santa and contending with the fairy siblings’ holiday revelries, she’s got her work cut out for her.

When uninvited guests appear on her doorstep, she’s forced to face a party of all the people she ran from when she left the Immortal World. No thanks to that torture!

Grinka plots to avoid the party, until she meets a handsome tree nymph who agrees to attend. Maybe, just maybe, this year Grinka will have a Merry Christmas.

Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies

As usual, Grinka the sea nymph can’t catch a break. She simply wants to publish her novel. Unfortunately, the two fairy thorns in her side mess with her computer. Too bad they’re immortal and can’t meet the same demise as the innumerable fairies in her book.

If that isn’t enough of a plague, Grinka’s sister Raina pops in from the Immortal World, bringing the first immortal virus with her. And now, Grinka is quarantined in her room with the two fairy nitwits.

Will she survive to hit publish, or will the rainbows and fairies win?

Nymphs Need Love Too

What do you prescribe a depressed sea nymph? A handsome tree nymph, of course.

Grinka can’t stop dreaming of Bello, the hunky tree nymph she met a couple years ago. Unfortunately, sharing her bed with her drama llama teen nymph sister has put a damper on her love life.

Who’s she kidding? Her love life was nonexistent even before she took in her runaway sister. Well, aside from the incident with her goblin ex-boyfriend and his dwarven girlfriend – an event that continues to haunt her in the form of the stalker dwarf.

But Grinka’s not-so-giant giant best friend brings her the gift of Bello’s phone number. Can she summon the courage to call him for a date? And if so, what will her sister and the fairy brats do to ruin it for her this time?

Nymphs Need Love Too (Fractured Fairies, 5) - Excerpt

My first new release of 2022 - yay! And it happens to be the fifth installment in my Fractured Fairies series.

Nymphs Need Love Too incorporates Grinka's love life woes, her drama llama teen nymph sister, and a smart speaker that might be too smart for its own good. As always, the fairy brats are mixed up in all of it!

After you enjoy the excerpt below, please consider purchasing yourself an ebook copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books, Apple Books, Google Play, or Smashwords. Or if you want to look at all the retailer options with one easy click, please go to Books2Read!

And please remember, reviews are much appreciated at any of the retailers and on Goodreads.

Happy reading!

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I stomp out of the bedroom to find the fairy siblings flitting over a pyramid-shaped speaker, which is sitting on one of the living room end tables. "What is that?"

Tamor turns around and rolls his eyes. "Hey, Boo. Why is Grinka such a bitch?"

A red light flashes at the top of the pyramid. Then a female voice with sultry tones emanates from the speaker. "I’m sorry, I don’t understand."

"Yeah, me neither." The fairy smirks and scratches his balls.

"Seriously?" I plant my hands on my hips. "You know I hate it when you call me that, and all I did was ask a simple question, so it’s completely unwarranted." Yes, I can always count on these two to piss me off enough to encourage the fireworks.

"Why don’t you ask Boo what she is?" Tamara gestures at the speaker.

Her suggestion puts the breaks on my desire to splatter Tamor into tiny fairy bits... For the moment. Talk to an electronic pyramid? Okay, why not. "Um, hey, Boo. What are you?"

This time the light flashes green. "I am Yam-Boom’s newest, top-of-the-line smart speaker. Over time, I adapt to the household’s specific needs, even adjusting my personality to those I speak with. Please, ask me anything. Just don’t expect me to know everything."

Man, Boo has attitude. Kind of creepy, though.

Tamara claps her tiny hands together. "Isn’t she cool?"

I’m not a huge fan of Yam-Boom. They employ fairies, who prevented me from publishing my novel. Speaking of fairies... "How exactly did you two buy something like this?" Neither have a job, and I no longer keep any spare cash lying around. Last time I did, the fairies stole my hidden stash and bought a tablet, which is now mine. My money, my tablet.

"Uh..." Tamor is never at a loss for words. What gives, now?

Tamara titters and flits up to me. "Remember, Herby? Our cousin who loves wine porn and works for Yam-Boom. Well, he hooked us up. Right, Tamor?"

Her brother’s head bobs, almost as rapidly as his wings.

Eh, I’m not so sure about that explanation. They’re acting shifty. Maybe I can explode the truth out of them.

Before I gear myself up to do just that, Syndago bursts through the front door. "Grinka! I got a job!"

❦

What do you prescribe a depressed sea nymph? A handsome tree nymph, of course.

Grinka can’t stop dreaming of Bello, the hunky tree nymph she met a couple years ago. Unfortunately, sharing her bed with her drama llama teen nymph sister has put a damper on her love life.

Who’s she kidding? Her love life was nonexistent even before she took in her runaway sister. Well, aside from the incident with her goblin ex-boyfriend and his dwarven girlfriend – an event that continues to haunt her in the form of the stalker dwarf.

But Grinka’s not-so-giant giant best friend brings her the gift of Bello’s phone number. Can she summon the courage to call him for a date? And if so, what will her sister and the fairy brats do to ruin it for her this time?

Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies (Fractured Fairies, 4) - Excerpt

Yes, another release! I've been looking forward to this one. It's almost too fun sometimes to play around with Grinka's life.

Bytes Bite, And So Do Fairies is the fourth published title in my Fractured Fairies series, though you can of course jump in with any story.

Please enjoy the excerpt below. And if you'd like to grab a copy, Bytes Bite is only $0.99 at all major online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, Smashwords, and Books2Read (the last will give you retailer options to choose from).

And if you read the entire story, please consider leaving a review at one of the retailers or on Goodreads. Reviews are awesome and helpful and it's one of the best ways to support an author you like. OK, I'll shut up now. Promise.

Happy reading!

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Now, I know how hard it is to succeed as a writer. Most indie authors need to crank out titles on a regular basis to earn any kind of money. So I tucked away a good portion of my tips for advertising over the last few months. I want this to work – no, I need this to work.

The thing is, when I started writing this first novel, it also turned into an outlet for some of my anger. And oh man, do I have a lot of anger. Just ask Syndago. My not-so-giant giant friend is rather sick of replacing light bulbs. Hey, I can’t control my destructive powers well, and the fairies piss me off at least every other second.

Speaking of the fairies... it’s far too quiet in the apartment.

And no, they don’t know what I’ve been up to on the computer. At least I hope not.

Unfortunately, they’ve gotten rather tech savvy lately, somehow getting their grubby hands on a tablet. I’m amazed they haven’t broken it yet. Perpetually drunk, naked fairies are rather clumsy.

I check under my desk, then under my bed, and look out the window for good measure again. Nothing. Maybe Syndago took them to the park. They love to harass the real birds in their pigeon illusions.

The circle continues to spin and spin. What’s a sea nymph got to do to get her noir urban fantasy published? I smash the Enter button a few times, to no avail. Actually, the circle appears to spin slower.

Damned computer. It’s been so twitchy lately. I even checked it several times to make sure the fairies hadn’t poured wine in the vents, though they’d be reluctant to waste their precious booze for such a prank.

Maybe I didn’t kill enough fairies in my novel. Yes, I killed a lot of fairies. So cathartic, especially since I can’t kill them in real life. Trust me, I’ve tried a million times by exploding them into honey-colored bits. They’re as immortal as Syndago and me, sadly.

In my novel, though... burn fairies, burn.

I snicker, and the circle freezes. Then the screen turns black for a second, followed by flashing rainbow colors. “What the–?”

Fairy giggles flitter from my closet.

❦

I wonder if this is what a gnome tripping on unicorn hairs feels like.

As usual, Grinka the sea nymph can’t catch a break. She simply wants to publish her novel. Unfortunately, Tamor and Tamara, the two fairy thorns in her side, mess with her computer. Too bad they’re immortal and can’t meet the same demise as the innumerable fairies in her book.

If that isn’t enough of a plague, Grinka’s sister Raina pops in from the Immortal World, bringing the first immortal virus with her. And now, Grinka is quarantined in her room with the two fairy nitwits.

Will she survive to hit publish, or will the rainbows and fairies win?

Ant-Man and The Wasp - Awesome Team

***WARNING: Spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen Ant-Man and The Wasp yet, you may not want to read the post below until you have. And I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to see it, especially if you like to laugh. So, go on, watch the movie, then come back and read my thoughts.***

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Ant-Man and The Wasp Movie Poster

Ant-Man and The Wasp -- I'd been looking forward to this movie ever since the first installment of Ant-Man, which was a hilarious movie, and one of my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe titles. They definitely tried to keep up the humor in this sequel, so I'll give a thumbs up for consistency. Though, I have to admit, while I enjoyed the movie, it still wasn't quite as good as the first where they hit things more on the head with the humor.

Luis's tangents were funny, per usual, and I loved it that Scott's ex-wife's current husband who hated Scott in the first movie now loved him and was hugging him all the time. That reversal was fun.

In Ant-Man and The Wasp we see the repercussions of Scott's actions from Captain America: Civil War. And because Scott is under house arrest, it makes this movie more centralized, taking place in one city. Now I know some people didn't like that it wasn't integrated as much into the rest of the MCU as some of the other movies, but I think it worked. This movie was happening during all the events of Avengers: Infinity War, so it makes sense that Scott doesn't get mixed up in all of that. The nice thing about most of the MCU titles is that even if there's not a ton of weaving with the other movies or characters, it feels like it still fits in the whole universe, and that's what Ant-Man and The Wasp felt like to me -- I knew it was part of the MCU, and there were just enough references in the movie to make it feel that way. Any more and it would have been too much for me, I think.

One of the best things about this movie was that both Ant-Man and Wasp pretty much got equal screen time. If anything, Wasp might have had more kick ass scenes than Ant-Man. I was thrilled to see that she wasn't relegated to a sidekick and that she had a central role in the movie. Quite frankly, since the movie focused on finding Hope's mother, it should have been titled The Wasp and Ant-Man instead!

The whole family theme throughout the movie was great. This wasn't a story of huge, global repercussions, but more personal journeys. And I think it was well-placed after Infinity War since it brought us all back down to Earth (literally and figuratively).

And the villains even reflected this focus. I know, I know, some of you didn't think the villains were big and bad enough. But they weren't the point of the movie, really. They were simply obstacles in the way of saving Janet from the quantum realm. Sonny Burch was your typical money-hungry criminal, and there was just enough of him, in my opinion. Ghost, on the other hand, was a woman striving to stay alive -- quite a different motivation. And in the end, her story was connected to the family theme as well. She'd lost her family in the accident that changed her, but at the end we see that Bill had become her family, since he refused to abandon her.

The one thing with Ghost I would have liked to see was a better fleshing out of her backstory. We pretty much got a big, old info dump. I know they tried to make fun of the fact that they were info dumping, but it wasn't enough to actually forgive the huge info dump that it was. I also figured Janet was going to be able to help her from being in the quantum realm for so long -- saw that not-so-much twist miles away.

And then we had the mid-credits scene. I knew that was coming, too, I just didn't know who was going to be effected. Scott didn't turn to ash, but Hope, Hank, and Janet did! Poor Ant-Man, stuck in the quantum realm. I was hoping for a Captain Marvel reference, but there wasn't anything blatant. I read an article though that mentions she may actually be stuck in the quantum realm? Which would make it connected, however not something neither I nor my husband caught when we first saw the scene.

Overall, I think Ant-Man and The Wasp was well-balanced and it gave me lots of laughs. I'd love to go see it again soon, but I'm also really looking forward to Captain Marvel and how she'll be integrated into the MCU.

Deadpool 2 - Forever The Merc With The Mouth

***WARNING: Here it is, your spoiler warning. If you haven't seen Deadpool 2, I highly recommend you don't read ahead, unless you like spoilers. Do you like spoilers? What fun is that? Go get your laugh on by watching Deadpool 2, then come back and read this post.***

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Deadpool 2 Movie Poster

Honestly, I'm not sure where to begin. I mean, it's not like I had kids interrupting me while I watched Deadpool 2 (our once per year date night -- ha ha).

I guess I'll start with this: it's funny. Yeah, a little simplistic, but hey, it's been hot out and I think my brain melted a little. Of course, it's only funny for those who like Deadpool's sense of humor. And seriously, Deadpool doesn't shut up. Ever. He's the kind of person I wish I could be, coming up with the wiseass remarks and burns in the moment (instead, I'm the person whose tongue trips over itself -- this is why I prefer writing to speaking, I can go back and fix things).

Now, I know there are people out there who say it's pretty much just a rehash of the first movie. But what do you expect from a specific brand of humor? All those sitcoms on TV? Yeah, same kind of humor over and over again. That doesn't make those shows any less funny for people who love that kind of thing (I mean, how many seasons of Seinfeld were there?). Same with Deadpool -- if you loved the humor in the first movie, you'll love it in the second. And if you complain about it being repetitive, you didn't really love it in the first movie and you can go suck a lemon because you're clearly not the target audience.

Deadpool's humor is of course the biggest draw, but like with the first movie, there's still a solid story arc. Mind you, I was a bit shocked that Vanessa died in the first five minutes, though it worked (and well, nothing that couldn't be fixed in the end credits with Cable's little time gadget -- heh). After losing Vanessa, Deadpool needs to find something else to live for, and while he's pretty selfish at the beginning, he eventually makes it his goal to save Russell, a kid who could destroy much of the world if he accomplishes a single act. He even sacrifices his own life to save Russell from turning into the monster that Cable claims he'll become.

Speaking of Cable, I loved his arc (and when Deadpool called him Thanos -- lol). At first, he's the big bad. But you see he's not really bad -- he's trying to save his family. He's simply a hero that's at odds with another hero (and I use the term hero loosely, since we all know Deadpool is the biggest anti-hero, ever). You can see the logic and good intentions behind his acts, even if he is trying to kill a kid. And in the end, he actually sacrifices being able to see his family again to save Deadpool. Of course, the teddy bear he carries turns from charred and bloody to clean and shiny, so he knows his family has been saved. And it was great how after he turned back time, he still aimed to shoot at the kid and have Deadpool take the bullet. So the outcome would be the same. But this time, the skee ball token stopped the bullet since Cable had clearly given it back to Deadpool.

Even with all the humor, the story arc was pretty serious, and this created a great balance.

My biggest qualm was the short screen time for Juggernaut, and his subsequent quick death. My biggest exposure to Juggernaut was with that old 90s X-Men cartoon. And I loved the conflict of Juggernaut with his brother, Professor X. Now, the relationship was hinted at in Deadpool 2, but by killing Juggernaut off, that squashes the possibility of him showing up in an X-Men movie (since the universes have been established as connected). It's one of those instances that I hope dead doesn't stay dead. It would have been awesome to have an Easter Egg at the end with Juggernaut emerging from the pool, as if he was just knocked out instead of killed. Dead isn't always dead, right? Not in a comic book! I can hope.

Oh, also Domino = love! I can't wait to see more of her. That power of hers is pretty awesome, and I always got to love strong women who don't take shit from anyone (including Deadpool). The rest of the X-Force dying was hilarious, too. Especially since the previews were a red herring and made you think they were all in the fight. Super glad they picked Domino as the survivor, though.

I'm sure when I watch Deadpool 2 again, I'll find a few more things that I like, and other things that bother me, but I think this first viewing I was laughing too often to notice many of the negatives. I mean, that's why I went, to laugh. Mission accomplished.

And I can't wait to hear what's next for all of these characters. Even if we don't get Deadpool 3, I'm sure he'd work well in an ensemble X-Force movie!

Thor: Ragnarok... Rocks!

***WARNING: Spoilers! Spoilers! If you haven't seen Thor: Ragnarok yet and don't want things to be ruined for you, you're advised to click away and not read the comments below.***

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Thor: Ragnarok Movie Poster

Yes, yes, the title is a little cheesy. Forgive me, I just got over super sick and now I'm getting sick again. I'd put this post off longer, but it's been put off long enough. But I promise you, since it's the holidays and everyone is busy, this will be short and sweet. It's hard to be my chatty self when I'm not feeling the best. ;)

We went to see Thor: Ragnarok opening weekend, and it lived up to my excitement going into it. I know the previous two Thor movies weren't the best, but from the previews of Thor: Ragnarok, I had high hopes for this one. And it didn't disappoint.

It is kind of sad, though, that it took three movies to finally get to a decent Thor movie. Thor: Ragnarok is by far the best of the bunch.

I think the biggest highlight of this movie was the character arc for Thor. This movie was truly a coming-of-age movie for him. Anything that came before this pretty much boils down to the antics of youth. I guess when you're a god, adolescence might extend a bit longer than most people, so even though Thor was never clearly a teenager in any of the previous MCU movies, once Thor: Ragnarok was released, you could completely feel how his previous actions were very much like a teenager.

Well, Thor finally had to grow up, and it was done with a great conflict with Hela. The fact that she was his sister made the conflict all the better. And you got to have Loki in the mix with all of that -- his ever selfish self. Loki was definitely true to character, and you know he snatched the Tesseract even as he was helping Asgard rid itself of Hela (I mean, it's got to be available for Thanos to grab for Avengers: Infinity War).

The other endearing thing about this movie was the humor. I am by and far a Guardians of the Galaxy fan girl, and most of that is due to the humor. I was glad to see that kind of humor brought into a Thor movie. Even though the core conflict was pretty serious, the humor added to the story and rounded out the characters.

However, I do admit at points they took the humor a little too far. There were a few spots that it felt inappropriate. The main one that comes to mind is near the end when Korg mentions squishing his friend. It's a rather serious moment as they're escaping an exploding Asgard, and I felt the attempted humor was misplaced at that point.

I promised short and sweet, didn't I? Well, that's all I got for now. I highly recommend Thor: Ragnarok, if you haven't seen it yet. If anything, you'll get a laugh, but I'm happy to say that the story and character growth was there as well instead of the humor being used as a crutch. I can't wait to see what Thor does next now that he's had to grow up.

NaNoWriMo - Slight Change of Plans

I know, I'm only eight days into NaNoWriMo, and I'm already changing my plans!

It's nothing earth shattering, but this plan takes my NaNo Rebel status a bit farther.

Are you dying to know? No? Oh, well, I'm going to tell you anyway.

Since revising Thorns Entwine the Blade has been taking as long (or longer) than drafting fresh words, I've decided to count my revisions toward NaNoWriMo!

Some of you may think I'm taking the whole Rebel thing too far, but honestly isn't the core goal of NaNoWriMo to push yourself to complete more than you normally would in a month? I'm still reaching for the stars with a goal of 50,000 of combined revised and drafted words. All the work counts!

And maybe, this year with that combined goal, I'll actually reach 50,000 words for the first time! Unless of course the month explodes on me. It's a possibility. My eldest just clocked a fever on the thermometer (eep).

So, here are the edited goals to reach 50,000:

❦ Thorns Entwine the Blade (Trinity Torn, 2) Revisions - 20,000 words

❦ GSD vs. Everything Complete First Draft - 15,000 to 18,000 words

❦ Blood Stains the Soul (Trinity Torn, 3) Pretty Shitty Beginning Draft - 12,000 to 15,000 words

This removes my last goal of wandering wherever my whims drag me, but that's OK. The renewed decision to aim for 50,000 is spurring me on.

As of this blog post, I'm at 9000 words, 5134 of Thorns revisions and 3866 of adding to the GSD vs. Everything draft. I'll tweak my counters on the left side a bit due to the shift in goals. The original NaNoWriMo post counter will remain at 9000, while the one below will keep counting up as I write and revise more (until I post another update, if I do). We'll start it with the Potato Dude watching TV, in honor of the next GSD chapter ahead -- GSD vs. Entertainment.

Reaching for that 50,000!

NaNoWriMo 2017 - Rebel Rebel

Now I have the song "Devil Devil" stuck in my head. Hey, at least it's a good song.

But that's not what this post is about. No, of course not. It's November 1. And we all know what that means, right? NaNoWriMo!

I am deep diving in revisions for Thorns Entwine the Blade right now, and I need to keep making progress on those if I want to release the novel in March or April. But I can't resist the temptation of NaNoWriMo! It's a weakness. Maybe even an addiction at this point since I never do hit 50,000 words (I'm still OK with that, by the way).

So, I'm all in this month. Along with a goal of 20,000 words for revisions, I'm also hoping to reach at least 25,000 words for NaNoWriMo, though I have scheduled stuff to shoot for 50,000.

What am I, though? A NaNo Rebel, always and forever. There are so many projects that I want to work on, so I'm going to use NaNoWriMo this year to finish some things up and most importantly have fun. No pressure at all. This will be fun drafting time.

The projects I intend to work on are as follows:

❦ GSD Vs. Everything - I am 12,000 words into this. I am hoping for 18,000 more words (though some won't count toward NaNo as I have one or two sections that will be copied from elsewhere). This is the first task, and I may not get any words written today because I still have to read through what I've already written since it's been so long.

❦ Blood Stains the Soul (Trinity Torn, 3) - Back in 2004, my first NaNoWriMo, I wrote out a mad dash of 14,000 words on Thorns. I kind of want to do that for Book 3 in the trilogy as well. Get down the bones and things that are floating around in my head. I want to see where the words take me. I'm not even calling this a rough draft. More like a free write with a prompt? My aim is 15,000 words on this.

❦ Now, those two don't add up to 50,000. If I do complete the above projects, it's a free-for-all. My whims will take me to the well of words. I could start a Fortunes of Fate story, inspired by the votes I've already gotten (if you haven't voted yet, please do: Which Tarot Card Next?). Or I might continue Chains of Nect. Oh, oh, or work on the Rabid Unicorns idea. A Fractured Fairies story? Another completely different shiny that is preying on my brain (I have so many that nibble at the edges)? Who knows! I sure don't right now.

What do you think? Am I completely off my rocker? Will I fall flat on my face immediately and get absolutely no revising or writing done? I sure hope not - lol.

My usual NaNoWriMo meter is below, and I'll tweak the word count meters in the left column as well. I may just have NaNoWriMo update posts throughout November, but we'll see. Depends on how well I can keep my head above water.

Happy writing AND happy reading!

Nov. 1 - I completed the chapter GSD vs. Sleep, so it's only fitting that the potato dude is nodding off. And now, I actually go to sleep... Zzzzzz.

Nov. 8 - The counter above will remain at 9000 -- pop over to my newest post, NaNoWriMo - Slight Change of Plans, to see the words continue to climb!

Hell On Wheels Excerpt

Hell On Wheels, the second title in the Devil Made Me series, is already up on Amazon for pre-order! And I'm guessing some of you might like a taste of what you'll find. Without fail, I have an excerpt below.

I would like to mention my plans for this title quickly, if you'll bear with me (or you can just skip my blather and read the excerpt). As I said above, it's on Amazon right now. If you pre-order, you can nab it for only $0.99. Release day is September 26, 2017, at which time the price will go up to $2.99. It will be available only on Amazon, including in Kindle Unlimited, for three months! On January 2, 2018, Hell On Wheels will be available from the other major online retailers, after a short pre-order period.

The first title in the series, Hell Hath No Fury, will also drop down to $0.99 for a short time starting some time next week! This special price will be available at all the major online retailers. You can find the links on my Devil Made Me series page. If you haven't read it yet, the beginning of October will be the best time to get it at the lower price.

Also keep in mind, you shouldn't be lost in Hell On Wheels if you haven't read the first title. Though I'm sure if you read the second, you'll want to go back and read the first. Moira is a hoot!

OK, OK, here it is, the excerpt from Hell On Wheels...

❦

A man in an impeccable gray suit perched on the edge of my desk, legs crossed and a car-salesman smile plastered to his face.

This was my office, damn it. No one allowed unless I said so. "Who the hell are you?"

He chuckled, a controlled and forced sound. "Nice one. I'm Richard, but you can call me Dick." When he extended his hand, it looked too perfect, too practiced.

Dick, huh? This would be fun. I crossed my arms instead of shaking. "We just met -- you should keep the juicy information about your disposition for later."

He dropped his hand. "I assure you, my name is telling, but not in the way you're thinking." The corner of his mouth twitched.

Crap. Someone ready to sling shit back at me. "Well, Dick, I think you took a wrong turn. This is my office."

"No wrong turn, Moira. I'm exactly where I intend to be."

He knew my name, but I'd never seen him before. True, there were many residents even on the second floor, but someone who exuded this much charisma and sleaziness wouldn't have stayed hidden. "When did you arrive here?"

"Oh, I'm not from this floor." The extended word "this" slid over me like an oil slick.

It reminded me of Douglas -- a resident who'd been mistakenly sent to the second floor and had almost killed me... again. Well, maybe his intent hadn't been to kill me, but he sure hadn't wanted to snuggle. Pandora had sent Douglas to his proper floor before Jared or I could rip his creepy throat out. A man I intended to keep in my rear-view for the rest of my unlife.

"You're not from the seventh floor, are you?" I now knew that was where people like murderers and rapists went. That had been my topic of study yesterday. Well, I think it was yesterday...

Dick laughed again, so close to someone saying "ha ha ha." "No, no, of course not. Would you believe the fourth?"

Greed. Seemed to fit. "You weren't by chance a car salesman before you died, were you?"

That fake smile fell off his face for a moment, and then he rallied, grinning bigger than he had before. "Smart."

Smartass -- he'd learn that if he stuck around.

Wait. How'd he get here, anyway? There was supposed to be no floor-to-floor travel. Unless Pandora had deposited him here. Or there was a way that she had yet to tell me.

Sneaky bitch. Jared was right -- Pandora hid things. But I wasn't about to admit it to him, at least not until I uncovered the secrets and confronted the lying wench. If I told him, he'd try to be all chivalrous again, like with Douglas.

I could take care of myself.

First step, don't react to Dick's floor-hopping. He couldn't know Pandora had remained mum on the topic with me. "What brings you from the fourth to the second?"

If possible, his smile grew bigger. How'd he talk like that? "You have something I want."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Your job."

I giggled, holding back the gut-buster I yearned to unleash. "You want to be a Welcomer? Be my guest." I tossed the sequined horns at him, and he caught them cleanly without looking down.

"Not that job." He quickly tilted his head then righted it.

Nervous tick or display of superiority? I reconsidered the whole fourth-floor declaration. Like Douglas's original assignment to this floor, it didn't seem right. Sure, people were greedy for power. But the desire to become the devil was on a whole 'nother level.

Not to mention, unless Pandora had told him of my impending promotion, he shouldn't have known. The other residents of this floor had poked around my office and asked questions, but I'd brushed them off with that whole wish thing. Told them it made me feel more normal to putter around an office.

"Get the hell out."

Dick stood and smoothed his suit, even though there weren't any wrinkles in it. He straightened his tie, which shifted from a classic black-striped number to tiny flames on a dark gray backdrop, and placed the horns on my desk. "I look forward to the challenge, Moira." Then he strode out as if he already had the position in the bag.

❦

Boyfriend hate your job? Well, he can go to Hell.

Yup, Moira's still dead. And her ex from life, not so much an ex anymore, isn't happy that Moira agreed to take the devil's place once she retires. Makes it kind of hard to while away their unlives on the second floor of Hell.

But Moira's not willing to back out of the deal, stubborn as, well, hell. Even when a sleazy three-piece, supposedly from the fourth floor, demands the job for himself, she refuses to withdraw.

Once Moira uncovers some of Hell's secrets, though, she starts to question her commitment.

Spider-Man: Homecoming - Lots of Laughs

WARNING: You know the drill. Spoilers ahead! Oh, man, the spoilers. Avert your eyes and run away if you don't want stuff ruined for you regarding Spider-Man: Homecoming. Please go see it, for a hearty laugh at the very least. And if you don't laugh at this movie, I have to wonder where you hid your sense of humor.

❦

Spider-Man: Homecoming Movie Poster

I know, I know, it's another reboot of Spider-Man. Many people are not fans of another reboot of this franchise. However, I think it's the best of the most recent movies. And I am thrilled it has been integrated into the MCU (quite well, I might add).

First, I have to admit that I didn't read the comics way back when. I didn't have enough disposable income for tons of comics and I was mainly fascinated with X-Men (which I also only nabbed a couple spinoffs of - Gambit and Rogue pretty much). So, my first big exposure to Spider-Man was the movies with Peter Parker in the role. Those movies were pretty serious. Which is why when I caught my kids watching some superhero show, I was shocked to see the Spider-Man in that joking, light, and acting like a kid. My husband promptly informed me that this cartoon version was closer to the comics. I thought it was great. (Not that I didn't enjoy the Perter Parker Spider-Man movies.)

The Andrew Garfield Spider-Man attempted to add more of the humor, but it still was pretty serious, in my opinion.

Spider-Man: Homecoming though hit that humor nail on the head. I loved it. I was constantly laughing. It was great to have this teen bumbling around and trying to be a superhero (plus we didn't have to grit our teeth through another origin story). When he took the "training wheels" off his suit, it was hilarious. It also gave us insight into his character -- he didn't want to kill anyone, and that sat right and made sense with who he is, at least in my mind. Even at the end, though he was trying to stop Vulture, he refused to let him die. He saved him. Awesome character development for Peter Parker.

The villain was wonderfully layered in this movie as well. Out of the destruction of New York (from The Avengers) a man who wants to provide for his family emerges and takes advantage of all of the alien tech that's left lying around. Of course, he turns into what he hates, though he doesn't see it himself.

Now, I usually see things coming, but I have to admit I had a hand-over-my-mouth moment when Peter opened the door to find that Liz's father was vulture. I know, I know, the last two movies have surprised me -- guess I'm losing my touch. ;) That whole awkward scene in Vulture's house was great, and I know some people might think it was too convenient, but I loved it.

While I enjoyed the movie for the most part, I wasn't a huge fan of Liz. At least this pretty girl was a smart, pretty girl... I guess. She didn't seem well rounded to me, honestly.

I did love Michelle, and wished we would have seen more of her. For the little she was in it, her character came completely alive for me, right down to the middle finger she gave Peter at the dance. And I of course loved the reveal at the end. "My friends call me MJ." OK, this isn't in line with the comics at all. The movie took liberties and clearly intends to change how things work and who MJ is. Purists cry foul over such things. But I think it's wonderful that they're willing to make characters their own and change them to improve upon old stories. I look forward to seeing more of this MJ in the next movie (and I'll be super disappointed if it doesn't happen).

So, those are my thoughts on Spider-Man: Homecoming. Did you find it as funny as I did? Have anything to rave about or quibble over? I'd love to hear your reaction to the movie!

Publication Year In Review 2016 & Mind Behind the Mind Countdown Deal

Wow, it's been a crazy year! Both my body and mind are feeling it, and I am overdue for a short break to recharge my creative batteries (not that I don't have a list of ideas, stories, and novels that need to be worked on, but my brain needs to reorganize itself after this year's long journey).

So, while the 2016 publication list below is long, I will be pulling back in 2017 on how many stories/novels/books I publish. I wanted to get my backlog of stories polished and out to the world in 2016, and I've pretty much done that. In 2017 I'll plow ahead with new material or continue tales I've started and am long overdue to get back to. But all of that is for a future post (in about two weeks). ;)

What titles by Alexa Grave made it out into the world in 2016?

❦ Love Fades (Fortunes of Fate, 2) - urban fantasy short story (E-book at all major online retailers)

❦ Hell Hath No Fury (Devil Made Me, 1) - humorous romantic fantasy novelette (E-book at all major online retailers)

❦ Bound - urban fantasy short story (E-book at all major online retailers)

❦ Blood & Booze: Two Urban Fantasy Stories - urban fantasy short stories (E-book at all major online retailers)

❦ Reversed (Fortunes of Fate, 3) - epic fantasy short story (E-book at all major online retailers)

❦ S.O.L. Air (Fractured Fairies, 2) - humorous fantasy short stories (E-book at all major online retailers)

❦ Sunset Street - YA urban fantasy short story (E-book at all major online retailers)

❦ Void of Intuition (Fortunes of Fate, 4) - urban fantasy short story (E-book at all major online retailers)

❦ Beguiling Moon (Fortunes of Fate, 5) - epic fantasy short story (E-book on Amazon, but will be available at all major online retailers by the end of this month)

❦ "Monster in the Room" (Fractured Fairies) in the anthology Monster Maelstrom: A Flash Fiction Halloween Anthology - humorous fantasy flash story (E-book at all major online retailers)

❦ Mind Behind the Mind (Trinity Torn, 1) - epic romantic fantasy novel (E-book on Amazon, but will be available by the end of January 2017 at all major online retailers; Trade Paperback on Amazon, Createspace, Barnes & Noble, and hopefully other online retailers soon)

❦ A Very Grinka Christmas (Fractured Fairies, 3) - humorous fantasy novelette (E-book at all major online retailers)

❦ Dancing in the Wind, Fractured Fairies: Immortal Woes & Ode to Buses and Libraries (Fractured Fairies, 1), Dreams in Shadow (Fortunes of Fate, 1), and Tales of Chyraine: Two Short Stories were originally published as E-books on Amazon before 2016, but in 2016 they were released to all major online retailers.

A lot of titles, no? Just typing up the list exhausted me!

I still have a lot to think about as far as plans for 2017 go. I thought I'd originally hammered the plan down, but lately I've been rethinking things. Certain tales are tugging at me to be finished (like a novel that's halfway through it's first major revision!). Hopefully I'll have it mostly figured out for my next post.

Until then, I also wanted to mention a Kindle Countdown deal for Mind Behind the Mind (Trinity Torn, 1). Starting tomorrow, December 16, 2016, my novel will be $1.99 for 3 days and then $2.99 for 3 days after that! You can find this deal in the US store only. But for the entire 6 days, 16-21, those of you in the UK with be able to get it for £1.99.

If you've been waiting to grab a copy, now is the time to do it! The links to the US and UK stores are below. Enjoy!

Mind Behind the Mind (Trinity Torn, 1) - US

Mind Behind the Mind (Trinity Torn, 1) - UK

A Very Grinka Christmas Excerpt

"Ho, ho, ho!"

Nope, not Santa, but Syndago (very dedicated at playing Santa, though).

Yup, it's time for another Fractured Fairies tale! A Very Grinka Christmas is a new novelette that brings together several of the characters we've already seen in past Fractured Fairies stories and brings in a few new ones as well! But even if you haven't read any of the previous stories, you should easily slip into the humor in this holiday tale.

If you want a humorous Christmasy romp to read this holiday season (the fairies trying to burn the apartment down, Grinka forced to use a Christmas elf illusion, and more), then consider picking up a copy of A Very Grinka Christmas. You can find it at all major online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books, and iBooks.

And of course there's an excerpt below, along with the blurb.

Have a happy, fractured holiday everyone!

❦

A boy of at least eight runs up to Syndago and jumps in his lap.

"Oof!" Syndago may be big, but he's sensitive. "Be nice to Santa, little man."

Little Man proceeds to yank on Syndago's beard. "You're not the real Santa, and I'll prove it!"

Surprise, surprise, kid. Syndago glued the beard on. Superglue, even. He's one committed Santa.

The boy tugs harder.

"Ow!"

"Carter, cut that out and tell Santa what you want for Christmas." The boy's stalky father sidles up to me, offering a nicotine-stained smile. "Sorry about that. He gets a little overzealous sometimes. Takes after his mom." One corner of his mouth twitches. "There's a reason I divorced her." He winks.

Oh, for the love of immortals. Sadly, he isn't the first one who's hit on me. I mean, I may be in an elf outfit illusion, but it's still my usual hot looking body -- a necessity for my profession. Stripper.

A psychiatrist might say I'm overcompensating with my illusion due to insecurities. I hate psychiatrists more than I hate elves.

But if this obnoxious man knew the truth of what my illusion truly hid, he'd bolt. I'm tempted to let him cop a feel and find out what seashell-covered breasts feel like. The shock on his face would be priceless.

He shoves a business card into my palm. "Call me." His hand lingers on mine far too long.

One of the bulbs in the string of lights above me bursts.

Syndago levels a stern gaze at me as Carter bounces off his lap and pulls his father away. "Grinka, be good."

"Hey, it's only one bulb." I could have blown out the whole set. Or worse.

"They add up. That's nine already today."

"Cheap lights."

"I'm trying. Give me a break -- you know I don't have perfect control." Far from it. "Can we go home yet?"

"Almost. Two or three more kids and our shift is over."

Then I can see what the fairy twits destroyed today. They've been on a revelry bender since the beginning of the month, and it hasn't been pretty.

The holidays will be over soon. Yes, yes. And then they'll go back to their normal level of destructiveness.

I just hope I survive.

❦

A grouchy sea nymph who fancies herself a modern-day Scrooge. Bah humbug.

Grinka's main goal for Christmas: survive without having to celebrate a damned thing. Between playing an elf to her mopey human-sized giant friend's Santa and contending with the fairy siblings' holiday revelries, she's got her work cut out for her. And when some uninvited guests appear on her doorstep, she's forced to face a party of all the people she ran from when she left the Immortal World.

No thanks to that torture! Grinka plots to avoid the party, until she meets a handsome tree nymph who agrees to attend. Maybe, just maybe, this year Grinka will have a Merry Christmas.

Halloween 2016 & Monster Maelstrom

It's that time of year! Yes, the time of year where I get way too into Halloween. It's my favorite holiday, after all.

Before I get into some pics of this year's costume and decorations, though, I'd also like to announce the release of a Fractured Fairies story. Last week, "Monster in the Room" released in the anthology Monster Maelstrom. It's a Halloween themed flash fiction anthology, of course! This Grinka-centric story can be found among a lot of other great stories. If you're in the mood for some Halloween reading, please pick up a copy. Oh, did I forget to mention the anthology is FREE?

You can snag a free copy of Monster Maelstrom from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books, iBooks, Google Play, and Smashwords. Please visit the Monster Maelstrom page if you'd like further information before you grab it.

Now, onto more good stuff! My yearly Halloween party was this past Saturday. No posts on the blog last week meant I was intensely cleaning the house that never gets cleaned except once a year for the party - lol. (I already have #11 for 1001 Reasons Not to Clean.)

This year I had a hard time getting excited about a costume. I just couldn't think of anything I wanted to be. Thankfully, the brainstorm finally unleashed itself when I was browsing Hot Topic online one day. I saw a unicorn horn and tail set. I figured I could always be simple. I mean, I love unicorns - that's no secret. Then I saw it... A blood splattered dress! Why be a plain old unicorn when you can be a Rabid Unicorn?

If any of you have visited my blog throughout the years, you know that I started a rabid unicorn story a couple years ago. It was a fun, humorous romp that I had to put on the back burner (like so many other shinies because there's only so much time in the day to write when you have an infant/toddler demanding your undivided attention). Of course, now I really want to continue it, but I have Thorns Entwine the Blade to focus on right now. If you want to read an excerpt of the rough draft I was working on, you can visit this old post from May 2014.

What? You want to see the costume? I rarely post pictures of myself, as you know. So, please be kind. Here it is! Note: I wear the heads of my fallen foes on my feet.

And I'll also leave you with a some pictures of the decorations from this year. Happy Halloween, everyone!

S.O.L. Air Excerpt

Why yes, it is another release day! It's hard to believe this is the 9th story I've released for my Baker's Dozen Experiment. What a ride.

Well, I started out the experiment with releasing Fractured Fairies, and today we get to read more about Grinka, Syndago, and the fairy brats! The humorous antics continue in S.O.L. Air, which you can now nab from Amazon. As always, this was fun to write. I hope you enjoy it as well! You can find an excerpt below.

And the next Fractured Fairies tale will be coming at the end of November - A Very Grinka Christmas! It'll be longer than the previous stories, but there's plenty of humor to keep things lively. What, you thought I'd stop publishing after the experiment was over? Never! I'll be writing until my body no longer allows it. You're stuck with my stories and characters for a good long time.

Anyway, onto the good stuff!

❦

I take a deep breath as the plane engines rev louder and the flight attendant buckles herself in. Maybe I can jump out of a window. Nope, no way to open this sucker, and someone was smart enough to not seat me in the emergency row. I peer out the window and gulp. Maybe I should have given Syndago the window seat.

I see a flicker of movement to the right, outside the plane, and crane my neck to look closer. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

There on the wing sit the two fairy twits. They wave when they realize I notice them. Guess they’re willing to risk being ground into a sticky pulp so they can make my life more miserable.

“There are pigeons on the wing.” At least my voice is now dry instead of panicky.

“I told you you couldn’t leave them behind.” Syndago frowns. “They deserve a vacation, too.”

“Every day of their lives is a vacation! They drink and drink and drink, and play pranks, and make rude comments, and drive me up a wall, and--” If it weren’t for Syndago insisting we can’t abandon them, the little snots would be living on the street, like proper pigeons, and not with us. The bulb above my head bursts. “And I need a vacation from them.”

“Calm down, Grinka.”

I open my mouth, ready to tick off several reasons why I don’t need to calm down, but the plane lurches forward and fear shoves the anger down my throat.

We’re taking off. No, we can’t. Stop the plane. I need to get off.

“Your mouth is hanging open.” Syndago’s brow wrinkles with worry.

I squeak.

❦

What’s a sea nymph got to do to get a vacation around here?

That whole “life is a journey, not a destination” nonsense doesn’t hold water with Grinka. Especially when she books a flight to Vegas to get away from those two fairy nitwits. She doesn’t quite consider the aquatic ramifications of a sea nymph in the air. Nor does she plan on a chance encounter with her goblin ex-boyfriend, Hrelm. Seriously, what’s it going to take for Grinka to get to Vegas and gamble away her meager savings?

Castle - Series Finale

***WARNING: Yes, there are spoilers. So if you haven't seen the final episode of Castle and don't want it spoiled, move along.

❦

I know it's been a couple weeks since the Castle finale, but I've been planning to post about this for a while. And damn it, I'm still going to post about it, even if I am a bit tardy (at least I'm not a couple months late).

Anyway, I was clearly a fan of Castle - love Nathan Fillion as an actor, and the humor is what kept me coming back each week. Now, though I enjoyed watching the episodes, I do agree the last couple seasons weren't the best. They definitely had their flaws. My husband would usually fall asleep while I watched most times. Perhaps my love of writing kept me more hooked on the show than him (though, really, it didn't have much to do with writing - lol).

Well, when I heard that Castle was going to be cancelled instead of the original 13-episode planned send off, I was sad. I totally understand though that when you lose one of the main characters, played by Stana Katic, it's hard to go on. Someone mentioned to me, though, that in case this happened, they had filmed an extra episode, just in case (and if it wasn't cancelled that episode would be destroyed). This made me feel a bit better. I was hoping the show would have a decent send off at least.

That "extra episode" though wasn't actually a whole episode. Nope. It was a tacked on 30 seconds. And it was horrible.

The final scene of Castle reminded me how so many TV writers have issues sticking the landing with series finales. As a matter of fact, there's only one series finale that comes to mind that was done extremely well, and that's Six Feet Under. I'm sure there are more that were well done, but they're few and far between.

I honestly don't know why it's so hard to end a series well!

For Castle they tacked a seven years later thing on, a little monologue from Castle, and the happy family with lots of kids. This is done just after they're both seen dying on the kitchen floor.

First, the transition is crap. Utter crap. Dying to happy smiling family. Clearly they didn't have a whole episode recorded as a just in case. If we would have gotten a next season, we would have been left with them dying on the kitchen floor. And then next season would have started with Kate dying and castle surviving. That would have been horrible too, mind you. Especially since Castle couldn't be all about the vengeance since Kate's killer was already dead.

Second, it's wrapped up in too neat of a bow. Way too neat. That final flash forward didn't need to happen. Unnecessary.

You think I think I could have written it better? Well, I do think so!

For one, both of them dying on that kitchen floor would have been a better ending. It would have. Admit it. You know it in your heart of hearts.

But I have something better than that. I do! And it wouldn't have taken more than that thirty seconds or so.

End scene with them on the kitchen floor, then into the next with them both being rushed to the hospital. They both survive. Yay! And Kate finds out while in the hospital she's pregnant. Then we could have cut to Castle's monologue. The end.

So simple. And it makes more sense, in my opinion. We don't need to know exactly what happens after seven years. We just need the hint, the hope that they're going to have a wonderful future together.

Enough said. I'll get off my writerly soapbox now. I hope you enjoyed the final episode better than I did!

Deadpool - My Kind of Humor

***WARNING: Oh, yes, there are spoilers in this post. So, if you haven't seen this hilarious movie yet, go see it now. Or I'll hire the Merc with the Mouth to make you. I mean, you can always read the spoilers without seeing the movie, but it's just not the same. So, go see it already. And if you have seen it, go see it again.***

* * * * *

Copyright Info on Deadpool Poster

Deadpool was a great fucking movie. Yes, I felt the need to use the expletive. In honor of Deadpool. ;)

Now, I've never read a Deadpool comic (if I had the time and money, I'd be tempted to now, though), but I have a husband who is better versed in a multitude of comic book characters (his hay day of buying comics is long past, but Deadpool has been around a while). Since he knows I'm a geek who enjoys comics, superheroes, villains, and the like (even if I can't afford to buy and read them, I like to hear about them), he filled me in long before the movie was even a thought on what type of character Deadpool was. I was intrigued then.

And then the previews for the movie started. It was seriously hard to contain my excitement. I am a sarcastic, snarky person by nature. I like my humor with an edge. Heck, when I write humor I try to have that edge. Oh, Deadpool has lots of edge.

This movie couldn't have gotten away with a lower than R rating. I am so glad they didn't try to wrestle it into a PG-13 rating. It would have been bad. Deadpool is the Merc with the Mouth. And what a mouth!

OK, this might be a bit of a gushing post. Sorry about that, but the only things stopping me from going out and watching the movie several more times are two children who can't see it (we drove all the way up to my mother-in-law's last weekend so she could watch the kids while we went to the movie). I was laughing even at the opening credits.

From breaking the fourth wall, to poking fun at Reynolds' past roles as Green Lantern and Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (seriously, why the hell would you sew Deadpool's mouth shut -- that's the best thing about him), the hilarity was infused throughout the movie. Heck, even my husband probably didn't notice all the little Easter eggs because there were so many! That little action figure you see at one point? That's the Deadpool figure from X-Men Origins: Wolverine. No clue until my husband told me about it, and that was after he read it somewhere.

Anyway, I know there are some critics out there that think the villains were a bit weak, and that the plot was a bit thin, but honestly I think the villains and plot worked for this type of movie. The core of such a movie is the humor, the character. Deadpool is larger than life, and he's supposed to be the central focus.

True, his motivations were mostly selfish. First he wanted to cure his cancer so he could spend the rest of his life with Vanessa. Then he wanted to hunt down Ajax to fix his deformities because he thought Vanessa wouldn't love him anymore the way he looked. Not very noble, huh? But Deadpool is not a hero! He's a mercenary by trade. And that's one of the things that makes him so great. Even at the end, when you expect him to grow, become the hero, as Colossus is expounding about the moments that make someone a hero, Deadpool blows Ajax's brains out. I mean, I saw it coming, but that didn't make it any less awesome.

And as far as the villains go, knowing that Ajax had performed the experiment on himself which led to him being physically and emotionally numb was enough of a backstory for me. Right there, you have exactly what makes him tick -- he has no regard for human life because he can't feel anything.

Also, the non-existent backstory for Angel Dust didn't bother me either. This movie is as close to first person as you can get, and everything is colored by Deadpool's point-of-view, a point-of-view that's self-centered. So, it makes sense that we don't get large chunks of information on the other characters.

Finally, I wanted to mention Vanessa. I was quite happy to see what they did with her. Mind you, she's not in a lot of the movie, but it was nice to see a love interest that clearly wasn't an innocent damsel in distress. When she was kidnapped, instead of pleading for her life, she cursed them out -- a reaction that showed she was a lot like Wade/Deadpool. And she managed to escape the container by using the knife. Once she escaped, she went straight for Ajax! Supposedly in the comics she's a mutant called Copycat. I'm kind of hoping that she kicks some more ass in the second movie.

Speaking of the second movie...I can't wait!

Have you seen Deadpool? What did you think about it?

Hell Hath No Fury Snippet

Hell Hath No Fury releases in two days! It's currently available for pre-order from Amazon, if you happen to like what you read below and need to make sure it's there for you to read ASAP on Saturday! ;) It will be available through Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library as well.

This one is a novelette, so a little longer than most of the short stories I've been publishing. It has humor, snark, and romance. What are you waiting for? Just read the snippet already and see what you think!

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Now Jared stared at me.

"What?" I asked. "Do I have a third eye on my forehead or a zit the size of a tomato on my nose?"

He shook his head.

Then the knowing feeling settled in my chest. He had prodded me in here. Jared might be dead, but there had been only one thing he wanted whenever he tried to get me alone.

"Don't even think about it," I said.

He stepped up to me. "You think that's what I want? Please. If dying the way I did wasn't enough, being dead does nothing for one's libido. I just wanted to get you out of there. It's good to see you, Moira." He touched my cheek.

A thrill shot through me at the feel of his skin on mine -- so warm. It felt alive. A knot tightened in my belly.

I didn't want this. I hadn't even felt this kind of passion well up for him when we were dating. Yes, the sex had been great, but this was a yearning that was hard to ignore.

I swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"That it's good to see a familiar face."

"No, no. About death and--"

He laughed, pulling back. The desire dropped without him so close.

"Oh, that. We're dead, Moira. We don't have needs like we did when we were alive. Are you hungry?"

I had to concentrate before I answered. No biting in my stomach, although I had been starving before the collision. "No."

"Thirsty?"

"No."

"Do you have to pee?"

That I'd think would be a yes. I mean, I was in a bathroom. It was stupid to have a bathroom if no one needed it, but I didn't feel any urge along that line. I shook my head.

He slipped up to me again, this time wrapping his arm around my waist. "Horny?"

His body pressed against mine flooded my lower regions with heat. From the questions he had already asked, I assumed the answer to the latest was supposed to be no also. My body spoke to the contrary, tingling at the feel of his fingers digging into my hip.

❦

Stuck in Hell with an ex-boyfriend. What's a girl to do?

Moira died. Of course, she never expected to appear in Hell once she did. But Hell isn't the fire and brimstone place so many people fear. More like a cross between an office building and a dormitory. And the devil, a sexy, disembodied voice in an endless expanse of darkness, sticks Moira with the job of Welcomer for the second floor of Hell. A job which comes with a skimpy little demon costume.

If that isn't enough to drive a strong-willed woman into fits, Moira finds out she's on the same floor with Jared, an ex she'd rather forget exists, only now she feels a strange attraction whenever he's around. Fun times.

To make matters worse, one of the new arrivals, Douglas, is a creepy old guy who stalks her and clearly doesn't belong. After a stomach churning confrontation with him, she decides she doesn't want to find out if she can die a second time. So Moira's got to find a way to shake Douglas, all while trying to come to terms with her conflicting feelings for Jared.

Who knew death would be as complicated as life?

GSD vs. Sickness

This post will be brief. Can you imagine what it's about?

G(etting) S(tuff - or Shit, depending how much of a potty mouth you want to have) D(one). It's ever the perpetual thing we humans strive for. Whether it be writing, cleaning, work, craft projects, heck even trying to relax so you don't stress out trying to get the other things done.

You devise a plan, a lovely plan that makes sense and you think won't be too far out of reach to complete. You're going to GSD, and you have it all mapped out in front of you how.

And then it happens. You get sick.

Now, there are people who can power through the sick and continue to GSD, even though I'd contest the quality of the work depending just how sick a person is.

Fevers knock me on my ass. And of course, that's what I woke up to Tuesday morning (after a long night of chills and me wondering why I was so damned cold). All I wanted to do was stay in bed, but I unfortunately had to at least minimally GSD. Get the eldest to school, make sure the youngest had food and clean diapers, pick up the eldest from school, fetch a naughty kitten from the basement, deal with toddler temper tantrums.

All the shit I listed above got done, but that lovely monthly plan for making progress on my writing tasks laughed in my face. And things had started off so well on Monday.

I'm still sick, unfortunately. Even if I don't have a fever, I have a headache that doesn't want to be touched by pills, horrible abdominal cramps, and the sweats. TMI? Sorry.

And clearly this wasn't what I intended to blog about this week. I was going to start the Adventures of Karriya the Wizard. That will now be delayed until the end of the month since the next two weeks are posts that shouldn't be pushed back.

Now, I have to admit, I also decided to post this because of an idea I have for a book. I hope to slowly write up some short essays on GSD vs. Various Things. I hope they will be humorous, even if they don't help overcome those obstacles to GSD, so a little humorous creative non-fiction. I'll be writing these up in between all of my other writing projects (funny, right? If I don't get sick). Of course I'll have a chapter on GSD vs. Sickness, though it won't exactly be this post!

What obstacles stop you from GSD? What would you like to see me write about in the book?

Fractured Fairies Snippet - Ode to Buses and Libraries

Fractured Fairies: Immortal Woes & Ode to Buses and Libraries released on Tuesday! I thought it would be nice to offer a brief snippet from "Ode to Buses and Libraries." So, here it is. If you like what you read, consider visiting Amazon and snagging a copy. It's also currently available through Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

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"So, you're going to send us five hours in the opposite direction when our destination is only an hour away?" The nerve.

"Yep."

I scramble over the counter and yank the metal chain around the centaur's neck, the one proclaiming him "Too Cool." "Look. We wouldn't have been late if it weren't for the damned bus driver." The ogre went in circles to waste time, I know it. Not to mention the restroom break. Syndago learned it was a bad idea to enter a bathroom just after an ogre finished taking a two-hour crap. "I won't stand for it."

The centaur shrugs, as cool as the chain I hold him by. "Nothing I can do."

Syndago pulls me back.

Too late.

The centaur's head explodes, splattering all over the kiosk. So much for Syndago's warning, but sometimes my power has a mind of its own. Really.

❦

Two short stories about a sea nymph with a bad attitude, a potty mouth, and the power of destruction.

Immortal Woes

Nothing like having a suicidal not-so-giant giant as a best friend. Unless you also have a couple of drunken fairy pests tormenting him about his small stature. Grinka's the lucky sea nymph who has both. Between comforting her friend and stopping the lewd fairies from taunting him with a suicide powder, her temper gets the best of her. And when it does, things explode.

"Immortal Woes" received an Honorable Mention in Quarter 3 of the 2015 Writers of the Future Contest.

Ode to Buses and Libraries

Grinka has a maddening itch on the back of her neck. And the only place she can find any answers about her skin condition is at the library in the Immortal World. Of course getting to the library isn't easy, especially when riding the Immortal Express bus line. Between a lackadaisical centaur and the drunken fairy twins, it's a wonder Grinka hasn't exploded them all. Oh wait, she has.